Stuart Culpepper

@culpepper.bsky.social

190 Followers 160 Following

*raises hand*: Present.

Kamil Galeev @kamilkazani Establishment Dems are doing everything correct: 1. Choose a 'loner', a weak link 2. Establish a precedent, by purging him 3. Then purge those around him, by association 4. And then, by association of association When you want to fully suppress opposition do it step by step Morris Katz hyped up Platner as a Bernie Sanders successor who could captivate the progressive base of the Democratic Party — much better than Squad darling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who he saw as a losing nominee
“Nobody knows more” about housing “in the history of the presidency,” he said. “Nobody did well like me in housing. I made a lot of money. I made a lot of money with housing.” This was how he explained his rationale for blocking the bill: “When I look at that bill, it’s a bill. But when I look at the SAVE America Act, it’s about saving America.”
Tom Holland says creativity is safe from AI because it “doesn’t have a soul.”
If one looks at the bottom 50% of the economy by income, there’s an argument for a rate cut. The economy down there is sluggish with rising loan delinquencies and record-low consumer sentiment. Meanwhile, if one looks at the top 50% of the economy by income, there’s an argument for a rate hike. Capex spending is soaring, earnings estimates are going up, and bank lending is up. The tiebreaker is that inflation is high from the war, and so it’s hard for the Fed to maintain credibility while making rate cuts.
I know what it's like to be 80. We have reason to worry about Trump's health - Robert Reich
The platform would operate entirely outside traditional banking channels and the SWIFT network, an arrangement that serves Iran’s sanctions-evasion calculus. Sam Lyman, research director at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, told Bitcoin Magazine: “No one can freeze it,” explaining why Bitcoin is attractive to a government under comprehensive U.S. Treasury sanctions. Any use of Hormuz Safe by international operators would pose significant compliance risks under OFAC rules.
The French Aristocracy Never Saw It Coming Either. Manhattan Mini Storage.com 212-storage Storage as low as $29 Free Move!
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U.S. markets are dipping slightly on the prospect of a massive bombing campaign targeting civilian infrastructure across Iran and the unknowable fallout.
US Business Cycle Most normal economic indicators are nearly useless at the moment. In a typical period of time, trends occur gradually, with occasional periods of acceleration or deceleration. But when a major shock occurs, such as global Covid-19 lockdowns or the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, prior trends become irrelevant and there’s a sudden step-wise change that dwarfs everything else. We’re in one of those latter environments as long as this current situation continues.
A picture of the NDX having broken down and heading toward it's 200 day SMA.
stuartculpepper @stuartculpepper So there's this thing about scarcity making things valuable. And the opposite also being true. Quote Elon Musk @elonmusk AI content will vastly exceed all human content
Generations ago there was a concept called thingification which says that only the human mind is real. I know this is hard to understand but thingification under-pins our society so we must understand. White men decided this based on Descartes: animals, plants, the earth -- none of these are real. (Real in terms of what matters?) But so, what happened was, we based Capitalism and the Industrial Revolution and all of manifest destiny and the stock market and our whole society on this notion that only the mind is real. And this was decided by white men who also, therefore, and conveniently, understood this to mean only the white male mind is fully real. I'm not speaking here out of anger, though I'm angry. This really happened and is happening. Western society was established on this idea that nature doesn't matter. The mind matters. But only the white male mind. Nature doesn't matter. The mind is supreme and everything under it, everything that could be interpreted as closer to nature like monkeys and birth and feelings and --- the earth and anything closer to the earth than white male thoughts don't really matter. It's indefensible but it's also what is happening. (Not you, of course, or anyone you love.) But there is something going on that is important to try and understand. Thingification is a problem we need to fix.
A portrait of young Catherine O'Hara, the great comedianne.
A picture of ice officers in conflict with observers. Caption reads, " Trump privately frustrated that he risks losing control of immigration message ...
The statements by the head of DHS and the President after ICE surrounded and fatally shot an unarmed bystander demonstrate the government’s commitment to protect the actions of ICE officers regardless of their legality, or rationality. The only viable recourse to prosecute these officers would be through Minnesota state courts. But any federal admittance of wrongdoing would limit ICE operations and undermine the Federal government’s objectives. So it seems certain any state court proceeding would face federal obstruction and that resulting convictions would be ignored by the administration with false and unconstitutional insistence on federal powers. This means ICE officers now understand they will receive administrative protection and potential pardons for any action they take in the field, regardless of their legality. They can use lethal force on any citizen with complete impunity. TLDR: they can get away with murder.
I'm not funny. What I am is brave. -- Lucille Ball, greatest (Female, crossed out) comedian of all time.
Girlboss narratives aside, I’m sure you know that enticement to work is more complex than that. -Having your own income, rather than an “allowance” as was often the case prior, if at all, is a relevant factor. One can transfer external employment skills; one can’t really transfer homemaking skills as easily. Thus, income outside of the family is a practical symbol for autonomy. -Not being considered second-class citizens in terms of political/intellectual involvement or rights, related to that aforementioned home focus, is a big deal. -One side giving up their external/political/financial involvement means the other side has no restraint at pushing down, taking power, and creating a vicious cycle that culturally and legally pushes the non-politically-involved side ever lower in terms of autonomy. An extreme example sample of unchecked self-reinforcing power is Afghanistan. Thus, the second side has every reason to fight and claim what they can. -And yet, it is indeed rather ideal if one family member can support a full family via external work, so that the rest can optimize internally. That way, spouses can choose how to spend their time. External work is hard and often unfulfilling, but necessary in modern times.
Solar powered backpack with sleeping bag and pillow provides shelter for the homeless.
A few months ago, I received an email that stopped me in my tracks. “NYPD terrified of a Mayor Mamdani,” the subject line read. The note was from a lieutenant who told me that after nearly 20 years on the job, he was considering retiring from the New York City Police Department—all due to a 33-year-old socialist named Zohran Mamdani, the likely next mayor of New York. He mentioned he wasn’t the only one—that a bunch of his buddies on the force felt the same way.
In 2025 institutions acquiring BTC at an average rate of 3,185 per day, surpassing the daily production of 900 BTC by miners.
Today's stock spotlight: Intel (+7%) shares surged as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed that the White House wants a U.S. equity stake in Intel in exchange for CHIPS Act funds.
"There's a way to make a deal: get the buyer and the seller in the same room at the same time discussing it," said one of the Trump advisers familiar with the talks. "What we're trying to figure out is if both sides really want a deal and what the contours look like."
The other hack we have for the kids with screens is we don’t use it as a reward. My four year old takes a lot of pride in “not needing the phone” if we go out to dinner. He only gets the phone if he’s acting up, and now associates it with our disapproval or something his baby brother needs to make it through a long meal. An hour in, sometimes I’ll ask “do you need the phone” and he refuses it. He doesn’t crave it because it’s not a reward or something he views as off limits.
But pivoting to AI is not a business strategy. Telling journalists they must use AI is not a business strategy. Partnering with AI companies is a business move, but becoming reliant on revenue from tech giants who are creating a machine that duplicates the work you’ve already created is not a smart or sustainable business move, and therefore it is not a smart business strategy. It is true that AI is changing the internet and is threatening journalists and media outlets. But the only AI-related business strategy that makes any sense whatsoever is one where media companies and journalists go to great pains to show their audiences that they are human beings, and that the work they are doing is worth supporting because it is human work that is vital to their audiences
JK Rowling posted on Twitter, 6/22: Quite easily, really. Decent men will stay out, as they always have, so we can assume all who don't are a threat, given their disregard for women's and girls' safety, privacy and dignity. Photographing, reporting and disseminating such men's images online will be a piece of cake.
Re: Constitutional Crisis Preparations for State Leadership Dear [Governor, state assembly and senate representative, mayor of your city and city council] I am writing as a concerned citizen about the need for preparedness for potential constitutional challenges from the Trump administration. Recent statements by the administration showing clear resistance to judicial oversight create serious concern about a constitutional crisis. Last year's Supreme Court decision regarding presidential immunity has also emboldened the President to assert they are above the law. Because of these events, there should be legitimate concern that if the Supreme Court were to rule against the administration's interests in a future case, those rulings might be disregarded. Should this occur, state governments may need to respond to federal actions declared unconstitutional yet still being enforced. I respectfully request information on our state's contingency planning: What protocols exist for state law enforcement if faced with potentially unconstitutional federal directives? What safeguards are in place to protect the sovereignty of our state government? What plans are in place to physically protect our Governor and other state officials in case of federal overreach? How will our state proactively defend its commitment to constitutional principles, including respect for judicial authority and separation of powers? Has there been communication with federal military or law enforcement leadership stationed within our state regarding their constitutional obligations? As a citizen deeply committed to our constitutional system, I believe transparent planning for even unlikely scenarios demonstrates prudent governance. Our state's preparedness would reassure citizens that our leadership stands ready to uphold constitutional principles regardless of circumstances. Thank you for your consideration of these serious matters. Respectfully, [Your Name] [Contact Information]-
because of the complicated and opaque way data sets are bundled, packaged, and distributed, they likely don’t even know where all the data came from. They also probably don’t have complete information about any constraints on how that data is supposed to be used or shared. The researchers at the Data Provenance Initiative found that data sets often have restrictive licenses or terms attached to them, which should limit their use for commercial purposes, for example.
My Awards, 2025 Note: in general it was not the best year for movies. But my choice for winner is, I think, one of the best movies ever made. Ever. I have also decided to give best actor awards without regard to gender and am giving two based on performance in a drama, or comedy/musical. Best Film - Flow (Not just best animated film. Best film by a mile. By many, many miles.) Best Director - Gints Zilbalodis, for Flow Best Screenplay - Flow Best Cinematography - no winner for traditional photography - but this would go to Flow Best Editing - The Substance Best Sound and Score - Flow Best Actor in a drama - Demi Moore in , The Substance Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical - Mary Louise Parker in, Omniloop *(Both of these are the greatest performances of great careers.) Best suporting actor in a Drama - Mark Eydelshteyn in, Anora Best supporting actor in a Comedy or Musical - Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Perez